Last night and this afternoon, a chamber orchestra that I belong to - The Southern Montgomery County Orchestra (somoco.org) played outdoor free concerts at the Silver Spring Civic Center. Somoco is a brand new orchestra created with the goal of promoting classical music and making it accessible to the public. The setting could not have been more informal with people walking by, kids running about, car and bus traffic going past and a restaurant regularly announcing "number xxx, your order is ready" over an outdoor loudspeaker.
The program featured the Strauss Serenade for Winds and Strings, a piece by Delius, and the Dvorak Wind Serenade. We played under a pavilion that provided cover for both musicians and audience (and since it rained last night, that was a good thing) and had chairs and small tables set up. We quickly drew good sized and appreciative audiences for both concerts.
Bottom line - it was FUN. The people seemed to enjoy our efforts - we had a lot of positive comments afterwards, and we had a great time playing in that setting. We are offering another concert (different program) June 11 and 12 in the same place.
Bringing music to the people
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The community musical groups with which I play are always trying to bring music to the people. The problem is most frequently bringing the people to the music. Quite often people just walk by, listen for a minute or two and move on. An exception is when there is an established outdoor concert series that people plan for and attend regularly.
I have played in two band concerts in recent weeks at a nursing home and an assisted living center, and those audiences stayed put and did seem to enjoy the music.
Glad your first effort with the new ensemble in the new venue was so successful. Sounds like a great program.
That was a last minute program - it is a new start-up group and we did not get enough string players for the original program so we had to scrap it and made last minute substitutions. We only had 2 weeks to get the music together before the concerts - 4 rehearsals total.
I think that having a set up with small tables was a great help in holding the audience. People brought their food and most sat pretty much through the whole thing. I also posted this thread in the lounge and if anyone wants to see the venue, please go there and take a look.
I really like the concept of making the music easy to access for the public and think it can help build a greater appreciation for classical music. BTW, any good string players in the area are welcome to audition.